


for the love of dog

by Skyson



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Coulson & Cal, Coulson & a puppy, Coulson POV, Coulson appreciates Skye, Coulson can't help but love Skye, Coulson just wants Skye to be happy, Eventual Smut, F/M, Skye & Cal, Skye & a puppy, Skye appreciates Coulson, Skye knows Coulson can't help it, mutual ownership of a puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 02:55:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4162992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyson/pseuds/Skyson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coulson will do anything to help Skye get back on track. And if that something helps him out too, well, that's just bonus points.</p><p>A snapshot of moments that led to, then led from, one golden retriever puppy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	for the love of dog

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing these snapshots quite a while ago, using this story as a place to 'brain dump', to get the writing flow started before working on my main story. Then I read somewhere someone asking for a story about a puppy, and I think someone else even commented the same name for the dog??? The odds of this were too amusing to me and I knew I had to turn this into a postable fic and share it with you.
> 
> Besides, I love puppies and I love Skoulson, so, I had a lot of fun writing this one :)

 

**< ><><>**

"That man I've seen waiting for you sometimes, why doesn't he ever come in?" Cal wondered curiously, leaning almost humorously to the side as he peered out the front window of his shop.

"Oh, he's," Skye thought quickly, "allergic to dogs." Cal made an expression as if that was the saddest thing he's ever heard. "That's one of the reasons I keep finding myself back here," Skye smiled sheepishly, looking down at the golden retriever puppy that was scrambling over her lap, "I love dogs, but we can't have one at home..." Somewhat true. A loose animal running around base was not a good idea.

Cal's expression softened, and he looked at her with a wide smile.

"So he brings you here once a month, so you can have some puppy-time." Cal's eyes lit up. "Well, Miss Johnson, that's a very loving guy you've got there!" Cal sounded impressed, and Skye just barely managed not to make a choking sound. "That's really something how he waits for you. He's a patient man, isn't he?" Cal asked knowingly. She looked out the window, seeing Coulson relaxed in the passenger seat of Lola, sunglasses on and a book in his hands. She found herself smiling at the image.

"Yeah. Sometimes _too_ patient, if you ask me." She rubbed the pup behind its ears and then carefully placed him back in the playpen with the other puppies. "He's not 'my man'," Skye explained as she got to her feet, "we're just friends." Cal raised his eyebrow, clearly not believing her, but lifted his shoulders high with a shrug and stepped toward the door, holding it open for her.

"If you say so," Cal said dubiously, looking around her toward Coulson again. "Does he always wear those suits?" He wondered distractedly, and for a moment Skye was worried that Cal was starting to recognize Coulson.

"Not always," Skye replied, and rested her hand on his arm for a second, drawing his attention back to her. He smiled, and clasped her hand between his own.

"It's always a good day when you come around, Miss Johnson," Cal said earnestly, and Skye laughed,

"Remember I said you could call me Daisy?" She gently chided him, and he made an 'oops' face and grinned wider.

"Daisy. I'll see you next month?" He asked hopefully, releasing her hand.

"As long as work permits," Skye promised him, and he gave her a satisfied nod. She smiled once more before turning and heading toward the car.

"Tell your _friend_ I said hello," Cal called after her, and Skye rolled her eyes before turning back toward him and mouthing ' _behave_ '. Cal's smile broadened even further, and he gave her a mock innocent look before returning to his shop.

Coulson closed his book and slipped it into the glove box when Skye opened the drivers side door. She sat down and released a heavy sigh before she shut the door, and she rested her hands in her lap for a minute before pulling the seatbelt across.

"Was today a good day?" Coulson wondered, expecting that one of these trips eventually won't go very well. Skye nodded, then reached up to turn the keys in the ignition. Coulson was curious by her uncharacteristic quietness - lately, she was always more upbeat and talkative after visiting her father. He took his sunglasses off for a moment, looking at her closely. "Is... Everything okay?" He didn't want to pry - he always did his best not to pry when it came to her father - but he worried.

"Yeah," Skye sighed almost longingly, "everything's fine." She glanced over toward the vet clinic again, and when she let out a snort Coulson followed her gaze. Cal was standing by the window, holding up a golden retriever puppy and waving its paw at them. Coulson looked back at Skye, and saw that she was smiling in a more relaxed manner. "Can we get some ice-cream before we go back?" Skye begged, even though she was the one behind the wheel.

"I'm up for that," Coulson agreed, relaxing now that she sounded like she wasn't lying. He didn't expect her to talk to him every time she felt bothered about something... he just worried. He looked toward the clinic as they drove away, noticing how the puppy in Cal's arms was looking after them, clearly disappointed that his person-friend was going away. Coulson settled in his seat, and put his glasses back over his eyes.

 

 

  **< ><><>**

Coulson didn't mean to eavesdrop, that hadn't been his intention coming down here, but as it was, he found himself hesitating just outside of the medical room door, standing off to the side so he wasn't in Bobbi's direct line of sight. He'd wanted to come check on her, see how she was recovering. He'd been busy these past couple of days, and he had also wanted Hunter to have his time with her.

Seeing Skye sitting by Bobbi's bedside, leaning in close with serious expressions on their faces, made Coulson pause and wonder whether he should interrupt. He glanced over to his right, a little self-conscious of getting caught snooping, but Simmons was busy focused on something else in the lab.

"I tried to get him," Bobbi's voice was very quiet, so quiet it disconcerted Coulson. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he thought about all of her injuries, each one mentally catalogued in the back of his mind, so he could easily recall it once he caught sight of Grant Ward again. He'd given Ward a hundred chances, but this was the last straw. Coulson considered Ward's actions unforgivable, and he wouldn't hesitate to pull his weapon the next time he saw him.

"It's okay," Skye's voice was soothing, but lacked any truthfulness. Both of these women, having been subjected to Ward, knew that it was far from okay that he was still out there somewhere, capable of hurting other people.

"I tried to get him, for the both of us. For Fitz, and Simmons. God, Skye, he's..." Bobbi trailed off, looked pained, and turned her head away. Skye placed her hand on Bobbi's arm, gently, whispering something that sounded like, ' _I know_ '.

"You'll get through this, Bobbi," Skye said confidently, and Bobbi faced her again.

"I know," She replied firmly, determination on her battered face. "And you and I? We're going after him. If he wants a fight, we can give him one."

Coulson couldn't help but smile a little, proudly. Bobbi was strong, and, just like Skye, Ward couldn't break her. He would need to make sure these two didn't go off on a revenge-mission, though - no matter how much he secretly wanted to cheer them on.

"Skye... I'm sorry for doubting you. About your... powers." Bobbi's voice had lost that little burst of energy, and Coulson had to lean closer to the doorway to hear what she was saying. "I never really agreed with Gonzales very much, but he was a pretty persuasive guy. And, honestly, I was scared by what I didn't understand."

"If it makes you feel better, I _was_ a bit dangerous there for a while. I didn't have any control over it," Skye sounded almost as if she was embarrassed by it, rather than her terror of it that Coulson had witnessed previously.

"Yes, but I should have recognized that you were trying to keep us safe. Coulson was the only one..." Bobbi stopped, and shook her head. "Coulson was the only one who immediately focused his first concern toward _you_. We were all worried about our own safety, and he was worried about yours. And it turns out he had a right to be,"

"Bobbi, I don't hold any of that against any of you," Skye interrupted gently. "A lot has happened since then, and I think we've all changed a bit, as well."

"Maybe not as much as you think," Bobbi said with a small smile on her face, a light tone in her voice. Coulson realized too late that she was looking across Skye's shoulder toward him. "Some of us are still focused on you."

Coulson jerked his eyes from the back of Skye's head toward Bobbi, and Bobbi was looking directly at him with amusement in her gaze. Skye turned around, a confused expression fading into a pleased one when she saw Coulson standing in the doorway. He cleared his throat and took a step into the room, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"Just checking in on you, Agent Morse," Coulson spoke up, as if he hadn't heard anything at all. Bobbi raised her eyebrow dubiously, as much as she could manage, and Skye smiled a little. She stood, resting her hand in Bobbi's for a moment before stepping away from the bed.

"I'll leave you to it," Skye said lightly, pausing momentarily next to Coulson and looking at him carefully. As he gazed down at her she brushed her fingers across his arm, but before he could realize he hadn't imagined the contact, she left the room. Coulson watched her leave for only a second before focusing his attention toward his injured agent, settling into the seat Skye had vacated.

"How are you feeling?" Coulson asked, keeping his tone a little softer than his usual 'Director-voice'. He really did care about what happened to his people - _all_ of his people, not just Skye....

"I'm getting better," Bobbi said, making a noise as she shifted a little in the bed. "Slowly."

"Take as long as you need," Coulson told her, "There's no need to rush." Bobbi gave him a look.

"Anything to keep us from running after Ward, right?" She said knowingly, and Coulson frowned a little.

"As your Director, I do have to advise against rash actions such as that... he's an enemy of SHIELD and a danger to the public, Agent Morse. We'll get him." Coulson said assuringly, and Bobbi scoffed.

"Eventually...." She looked at him with curiosity. "What about as _not_ our Director?" Coulson was silent for a moment as he chose his words carefully.

"As not the Director of SHIELD... I want to do anything and everything so that you and Skye and anyone else that bastard has hurt don't have to worry about him ever again." He said seriously, and Bobbi looked impressed at his brief show of emotion. "I... really didn't mean to listen in." He apologized, and Bobbi shook her head, waving it away.

"It's okay, boss. I won't let anyone know how much you really care about us." Bobbi teased, and he allowed a quick smile to curve his lips. "You know," Bobbi said more seriously, dropping her voice so no one but him could hear, "I really didn't agree with Gonzales on a lot. But there were some concerns of his I found valid - even if he went about them the wrong way." Bobbi gave him a sideways look, and he leaned back in the chair, lifting his foot to rest his ankle across the opposite knee.

"Concerns such as?" Coulson asked, back to Director-mode once again. He had a feeling he knew where Bobbi was headed, but he didn't feel like that conversation was appropriate to have with her or in such a public area.

"You." Bobbi said calmly, not bothered by his stiffness. "And Skye. The nature of your relationship."

"I don't think that's any of your business." Coulson replied, and Bobbi continued to give him that 'you're being ridiculous' look that he'd seen her give Hunter numerous times.

"It's not," Bobbi agreed, which momentarily surprised Coulson. "it's nobody's business, except yours and hers. But sir, _you're making it rather obvious_." Coulson frowned, and Bobbi leaned toward him a little. "Look, I am probably the worst person on this base to be giving out relationship advice, but I do know one thing - if you keep it to yourself, it screws things up. It makes things awkward." She dropped her gaze, picking at the fabric of the sheet on top of her. "And you'll really regret not taking a chance." Coulson was quiet for a moment, and he softened his tone to say,

"Hunter's still around, Bobbi, and it's obvious he still loves you. You know I don't have a problem with the two of you,"

"As long as it doesn't become a problem in a mission, right," Bobbi interrupted. "Coulson, Skye's still pretty messed up about what all went down. She does a good job at hiding it, but we're spies. Our _job_ is to read people. She hasn't gone back out on the field,"

"We haven't _had_ very many missions needing boots on the ground," Coulson argued, wondering how Bobbi knew so much from her confinement in the med bay.

"She's been doing a lot of work around the base - she talks to me about that. What she _doesn't_ talk about is field work. Past or future. And she certainly doesn't talk about the Inhumans, what went down on that ship, what happened with her parents - "

"That's _private_ ," Coulson insisted, bothered by Bobbi pointing out what he'd kind of been avoiding, and then frustrated that Bobbi could clearly tell that he was bothered.

"She needs a friend to talk to, not just a therapist,"

"Then be her friend."

"She needs someone she _trusts_!" Bobbi said louder, then glanced out the windows to make sure she didn't attract the attention of Simmons or the other techs. "I'm sorry," Bobbi apologized quickly, "as an Agent that was out of line,"

"Yes, it was," Coulson said, lifting his eyebrows, but Bobbi kept talking,

"What I'm trying to say is: you're busy avoiding her because you don't want her to know how much you care, but she needs you around _because_ you care. She knows that you've always believed in her, and have been looking out for her these past few years."

"She told you that?" Coulson found himself asking, a bit wondrous.

"Yeah," Bobbi said with a smile, and pointed at him. "And that look on your face right there? That's what I mean when I say you're making it rather obvious."

Dammit, he always had trouble controlling his face when it had to do with Skye. He stood up, and smoothed his hand down his tie, schooling his features. Before he turned to leave the room, he caught a nervous look on Bobbi's face.

"Um, am I fired?" She asked, and Coulson gave her a long look.

"We're going to agree right now that this conversation never happened." He informed her, and while frustration passed through her eyes - no doubt because she assumed he wasn't going to acknowledge anything that she had said - she nodded in agreement. "Good. Get some rest, Agent Morse." Coulson said, stepping out of her room and closing the door behind him.

He took a deep breath, wondering about who else on this base had the same concerns as Bobbi. She couldn't have been the only one, and because of that, he was surprised that she was the first and only person to really discuss it with him.

"Director Coulson!" Simmons' voice pulled him away from his thoughts, and he turned toward her. "How is the prosthesis managing?" She asked, and he stepped closer to her, lifting his left hand up between them. He turned it palm up, flexing his fingers, and twisted his wrist.

"Excellently, thank goodness. I really don't know what I would have done with only one hand for the rest of my life," Coulson said lightheartedly, and Simmons did that thing where she let out a small awkward laugh but it was obvious she didn't find the situation humorous.

"Any issues you need me to look at? Discomfort? Unconscious movement?"

"Nope," Coulson assured her. "Fitz did good. It feels real." Simmons smiled, pleased.

"He'll be glad to hear that. Let me know if anything changes." Simmons said, and Coulson nodded. He stepped away about to leave, but then he hesitated, and turned back toward Simmons.

"Simmons, does Skye talk to you about... anything?" He asked carefully, and Simmons looked up at him, confused. "I'm not asking as an order, or anything - you aren't obligated to tell me." Coulson quickly added.

"You mean, does she talk about what happened while she was gone?" Simmons asked softly, and Coulson nodded. Simmons shook her head. "No, not really. She's told me about what she's learned of her powers, and some of the powers of people like her. But, no, nothing specific." Simmons looked saddened, like she knew that Skye was hiding something important. "I'm afraid she probably doesn't trust me very much anymore."

Coulson looked at Simmons carefully, trying to spy any signs that she had overheard his conversation with Bobbi. He knew from experience that Simmons couldn't lie to him that well, and relaxed a little.

"Okay," He said, and Simmons spoke up again after he'd only taken two steps toward the hallway.

"Maybe you could try talking to her? She'll probably talk to you."

Coulson walked down the hallway, avoiding eye contact with anyone he passed, putting out that air of 'don't talk to me I'm busy', while he considered what to do. He worried about Skye more than he needed to, and he didn't want to burden her with that. Frankly, he was afraid to talk with her about anything personal. Personal was dangerous territory. And he never wanted to push her into a conversation, but he knew that it was better - healthier - to share burdens with people, not hold everything on your own shoulders. Skye had helped teach him that. But how was he going to be her ear, and keep his own emotions from bursting out of his mouth?

 

 

 **< ><><>** 

Coulson entered the clinic carefully, looking around the room for all the exits out of habit. The door had a bell on it that dinged when it closed, and Cal was talking with some woman at the counter. The beagle on the leash she was holding was calmly sitting at her feet, its tongue lolling out to pant as it watched Coulson from across the room.

"I'll be with you in a moment!" Cal called out, not really looking up as he talked with the lady about the form on the counter between them. Coulson meandered around the room, checking out the small selection of various animal foods and other products. It looked like he took care of more than just your basic dog and cat.

There was a playpen near the window that had a few dogs in it, one of them looking immediately familiar. Coulson crouched next to the pen and rested his elbow on the edge, reaching out to pet the small mass of puppies that scrambled over to greet him. He found himself smiling as he scratched one of them behind the ears; he hadn't had a dog since he was a young boy.

He knelt there until the scampering of claws on linoleum and the ding of the bell announced the other customer's exit, and he heard footsteps approach him.

"Hello," Cal said pleasantly, and Coulson stood to shake the man's hand, trying not to flinch from the contact. He logically knew Cal wasn't going to attack him - he wasn't the same Cal - but those fists had punched Coulson enough times that he had a natural instinct to shy away from them.

"Hi," Coulson smiled, and Cal looked at him sideways.

"You look familiar to me. Have we met before?" Cal asked, and Coulson gestured toward his jeans.

"Usually I happen to be wearing a suit," He began, and Cal's face lit up.

"Ah, yes! You're Miss Johnson's friend!" He exclaimed, reaching out to shake Coulson's hand again. Coulson was a bit curious about Cal's tone on 'friend', but he didn't ask. Instead, he pointed his thumb at the playpen.

"Are these patients of yours?" He asked.

"Most of them. That one there, though, the light-colored one? He's been a permanent member here for the past three months. I found him in a box by a dumpster, brand new and abandoned. His little eyes hadn't even opened yet," Cal said lovingly, reaching down to pick up the dog that had to weigh at least twenty pounds. It immediately twisted around to lick his face, throwing its front paws over one of his shoulders, content to just sit there like an overgrown baby.

"He's yours? He's beautiful," Coulson said, reaching out to run his fingers through the dogs fur. It was incredibly soft, softer than he'd been expecting, and he kept petting him.

"Not mine, not exactly." Cal gave Coulson another sideways look. "I had him for sale, but Miss Johnson seems to show a particular fondness toward him whenever she visits. And he just adores her too," Cal turned his attention toward the dog, "don't you, you furball?" Coulson watched with interest as Cal nuzzled the side of the dogs muzzle, allowing the dog to lick him across the face. He almost had an image of the father Cal probably had been, before everything became a mess. Cal looked back at Coulson, pulling Coulson out of his thoughts. "What are you thinking?"

Coulson opened his mouth to reply, but he wasn't sure exactly what he was thinking. Buying a dog? A dog who was probably only potty-trained, at the most, who wouldn't be able to fend for itself for a while yet, who would probably get into everything and shed everywhere and chew up the furniture in his office...

"If he's available, I'm thinking of giving him to - Daisy." Coulson finally said, and Cal's entire face lit up.

"That's - but wait!" He carefully put the dog back in the pen, looking concerned. "Aren't you allergic to dogs? Are you okay?" Coulson was momentarily surprised, but then figured Skye had to have said it, and he smiled a little uncomfortably.

"It's manageable." He assured Cal, and Cal grinned widely, clasping Coulson on his shoulder. The action jarred him a little, but then Cal was moving back behind the counter.

"Let me just get the papers for you." Cal said, and rambled as he worked, "I knew you weren't just a friend. She said you were just a friend, but I could tell, the way she talked about you,"

"She talked about me?" Coulson asked, trying not to wonder too much about the way she talked about him.

"Oh yeah," Cal replied, and then looked worried. "I mean, not a whole lot. I was just curious, I see you waiting for her sometimes and I wondered - "

"It's okay," Coulson said easily, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"They were all good things," Cal assured Coulson, and Coulson smiled. He really didn't want to be in here talking with Cal more than necessary. It was just too... strange, especially after the last time they had talked about Skye.

Luckily, after that Cal focused on explaining to Coulson all the shots the dog had, which ones would still need to come, when he should be neutered (should that be something they wanted done), how much room was healthy for him, and how far he was already trained. Cal insisted on not having Coulson pay for the dog, but he did pay for the leash, food, bowls, toys, and other dog-stuff that was necessary. Cal helped carry everything out to the car, putting it all in the trunk, and then standing on the sidewalk as he said goodbye.

"I'm going to miss seeing this smiling face every day," Cal said, dropping down to rub the dogs fur. "But maybe Miss Johnson could bring him along every now and then for a visit?" Cal looked up at Coulson, and Coulson nodded.

"Absolutely," Coulson said sincerely. "It looks like you took really good care of him. We'll do the same." Cal stood and shook Coulson's hand again.

"Oh, I don't worry about that, Miss Johnson has a very caring heart. This little fella will be happy to be hers."

"That she does," Coulson agreed, thinking of Skye and missing the amused knowing look on Cal's face.

"Drive safe in that fancy car of yours! Oh, and you might want to invest in a lint-roller for those suits of yours," Cal suggested, nodding toward Coulson's grey jumper, which was now covered in light golden fur.

"Thank you," Coulson said seriously, after he had helped the dog climb into the passenger seat of the car, "She'll be..." He trailed off, not sure exactly how Skye would react to this. He knew how he wanted her to react, but...

"She'll love it." Cal assured him, and Coulson looked at him for a moment before nodding, smiling, and getting into the car.

The dog immediately leapt over and licked his jaw, and Coulson urged him back toward the passenger seat, sliding the seatbelt through the harness he'd bought just for this purpose. The dog looked confused for a second, but then looked at Coulson, and he literally grinned, tongue lolling out as he panted. Coulson laughed, buckled himself in, and turned the car on. He was glad he'd thought to put the hardtop on for this trip; he didn't want to freak the dog out once they went airborne.

"We need a name for you, boy," Coulson said as he headed toward an abandoned area to switch the VTOL systems on. "But I'll let Skye take care of that."

 

 

**< ><><>**

Coulson had already discussed his plan with the Koenig's, and they had immediately assured him that they would take care of the dog whenever he and Skye were on a mission, or whenever else it became necessary. It had taken some persuading, but after talking with Fitz about creating a sort of invisible fence that would barricade the dog out of any harmful or unwanted areas, the scientists were okay with it too. They'd even shared a little smile, like they were in on some secret Coulson didn't know about, and kept saying how 'this would make Skye so happy'. Well, duh, that was kind of the point...

Sam helped Coulson sneak the dog and all the supplies up to the office, telling him that Skye was elsewhere on base, working on some security programs with Billy. She wouldn't be back for a few hours, at least, giving Coulson time to settle in a little.

FitzSimmons could keep the secret from Skye fine, but they had managed to let it slip to May, and Coulson was almost more concerned about that than if they had accidentally told Skye. May came into the office as Coulson was making sure none of his more important things were within chewing distance. The dog followed him around like a shadow, curious about his new surroundings, but so far he hadn't done anything that Coulson disagreed with.

"Well," May mused, standing by the closed door with her arms folded across her chest. "I think you're the first Director to have a dog in his office." Coulson frowned, and Dog looked up at May when he heard her voice, his tail wagging furiously. As if he knew better already, though, he stuck next to Coulson's feet.

"The President has a dog. Why can't I have a dog?" Coulson grumbled, and May looked like she just won something.

"You do realize that mutual ownership is a form of partnership?" May raised her eyebrow, and Coulson looked down at Dog, who wagged his tail and then went back to sniffing the corner of the desk.

"If you pee on that, I'm taking you back," Coulson warned him, and he looked up at Coulson sideways before moving on toward other interesting things.

"Heh. You'll be fine." May said, drawing Coulson's attention again. She was smiling now, looking at him openly instead of just 'Agent May'. "You know there's still a lot I think you need to work on. You and Skye, that's one of those things. But this is a good start." May nodded her head toward Dog.

"I'm not sure what you think this is," Coulson began, and May rolled her eyes.

"It's a dog, Coulson. You've bought Skye a puppy. Say that sentence out loud, and think about it." May sent a little smile toward Dog and then left the room. Coulson and Dog looked at one another for a minute.

"I've bought Skye a puppy." Coulson muttered. Was there supposed to be some big response to that statement, or something? He still felt the same thing he had been since he and Dog had gotten in the car - excited, happy, hopeful. "Well, at least everybody else seems to approve, so far," Coulson said to Dog, crouching and scratching him behind the ears. He rolled over almost immediately for a belly rub, pawing at Coulson's hand playfully. Coulson grinned and sat down on the floor, getting a little distracted by playing with Dog for a while.

"Hey," he said eventually, when he could tell Dog was a little worn out and thirsty, "if I put a bow around your neck, will you chew it off?" Dog looked at him, panting, and Coulson scooted over by the window, where Sam had filled a bowl of water and placed the empty food bowl. Coulson dipped his fingers in the water and then flicked them toward Dog. Dog flinched and then scrambled to his feet, bounding over excitedly and almost diving headfirst into the water bowl.

"Slow down," Coulson advised him, laughing, not bothered at all when Dog leapt onto him and dripped water all over his front, licking his face. Coulson blindly reached for the little red bow and attached it to Dog's collar while he was distracted, turning it so it was near Dog's ear and out of easy reach from his muzzle.

Playful again, Dog bounded away, crouching down and sticking his butt up in the air. Coulson leaned forward suddenly, acting like he was going to go after him, and Dog scampered off, paws slipping on the hardwood floor as he disappeared under Coulson's desk.

"I think you'll do just fine here," Coulson said proudly, and then his door opened and Skye walked in.

"Who'll do just fine he...." Skye trailed off, allowing the door to shut behind her as she stared down at Coulson. He was quite suddenly reminded that he was the Director of SHIELD, sitting on the floor of his office, out of his usual suit and his front obviously soaking wet.

"Uh," Coulson quickly got to his feet, rather elegantly he thought, given the situation, and clasped his hands behind his back. "I..." How to explain this one...

"Did you just finish up an undercover op?" Skye wondered, eyeing him. Coulson shifted on his feet, for some reason feeling very exposed all of a sudden. He glanced down, confirmed that he was still fully clothed, and looked back up toward her eyes.

"No," Coulson said, shaking his head, blinking at her. She quietly looked at him for a moment longer.

"So..." She seemed really focused on his jeans. Was his fly open? Dear God, he hoped his fly wasn't open. Stupid jeans, this was why he didn't wear them that often... he glanced down again, saw that he was safe, and actually let out a little sigh of relief. He bit his tongue, hoping she hadn't noticed. "Is that dog hair?"

"Well, I was hoping you weren't going to be in here for another couple of hours, so I could," So he could what? Geez Coulson it's just a puppy, get it together. "I don't know, prepare, or whatever," He muttered. Skye looked at him like he was crazy. He sighed, and patted the side of his leg firmly, his eyes on Skye so he could see her reaction.

She narrowed her eyes for a second, but then they both heard paws scrambling along wood and Coulson knew as soon as Dog had reappeared from under the desk because Skye's whole face lit up, and her mouth opened wide in surprise.

"Oh my God!" Skye exclaimed, dropping to her knees as Dog leapt at her, clearly recognizing her as his tail wagged furiously and he began licking her face like mad. "Oh my God!" Skye fell back onto her butt, pulling Dog into her lap, running her hands through his fur. "Oh my _God_ , Coulson," Skye looked up at him, her mouth still open. Coulson knew he had a stupid giant grin on his face, but he couldn't help it.

"He's yours. Well, ours, I think, he's rather taken with me. But he's mostly yours..." Coulson gestured lamely, shrugging a little, and Skye released Dog only to launch herself at Coulson and throw her arms around him, her body landing against his with enough force that he stumbled back a step.

"We have a _dog_ ," Skye exclaimed, " _we have a dog!_ " She squeezed him even tighter, and he couldn't breathe, but he really didn't care. She made a squealing noise and dropped to the ground again, hugging the dog almost as tight as she'd hugged him. "This is the same one from Dad's office, isn't it?" Skye wondered, sounding just slightly calmer. Her hand brushed against the bow, and she squealed again. " _And he has a bow and everything_ ,"

He had not expected a bow to illicit such a response, but Skye was once again in his arms, her body against his and her head on his shoulder. It took him a second, but he realized her shaking shoulders was her crying, not laughing, and he put his hands on her shoulders to get a look at her.

"Skye, please don't cry, I didn't want to make you cry," Coulson said anxiously, concerned, "I just saw the way you would play with him whenever you visited and I thought - "

"I'm not crying because I'm _sad_ , AC," Skye assured him, then laughed, and pulled him closer again, resting her chin on his shoulder as she held him as closely as possible. He placed his hands against her back momentarily, eventually relaxing and wrapping his arms around her more securely. He looked down at Dog, who was sitting on the floor watching them, tail wagging and tongue hanging out.

' _Thank you_ ' he mouthed toward the dog, and he could swear the furry animal looked pleased with himself.

 

 

 **< ><><>** 

"Does he have a name?" Skye asked later that night, after Coulson had explained the rules regarding the dog, after they had spread out all the stuff Coulson had bought, giving things a home, watching the dog play with some of the toys, feeding him when dinnertime came around.

Regardless of what anybody else on the base thought of their relationship, Coulson was thankful no one had been by his office, giving them a bit of privacy for the evening. They weren't even bothered about dinner, which was fine, Coulson wasn't hungry anyway, and he knew Skye would have said something if she was.

"No...I figured you might have one?" Coulson offered, leaning back against his couch and stretching his feet out in front of him. He'd taken his shoes off a while ago, and wiggled his toes at Dog while Dog rolled around on top of his feet. He just hoped he wouldn't find any holes in his socks because of this game.

"Well," Skye hesitated, sounding a little unsure, "I did call him something at the clinic, but I'm not sure whether you would approve or not,"

"Skye, he's primarily _your_ dog. You can name him whatever you'd like." Coulson insisted, and Skye gave him a look, pulling herself off the floor and sliding onto the couch next to him with a sigh.

"He's _ours_ ," Skye said first, and Coulson couldn't help the pleased feeling he felt in his chest at that. "And I was calling him Cap."

"As in, America?" Coulson asked in surprise, and Skye bit her lip for a second.

"Yeah?" She said after a beat, and Coulson grinned widely, and looked back down toward the Dog.

"Cap," He said thoughtfully, and the dog turned toward the sound of his voice, tail thumping against the floor. Coulson looked at Skye again. "It's perfect."

"You sure?" Skye asked, hesitant but hopeful, and Coulson reached down to pick up Cap, settling him in his lap. "He's your superhero, after all," Skye said, as if she was reminding him, and Coulson scratched Cap behind the ears.

"He's not _my_ superhero," Coulson rolled his eyes, and Cap leaned forward and licked his face. "Mmf," Coulson grunted, chuckling, and pushed the dog away from him. Cap bounded over the space between them and threw himself at Skye, attacking her face with licks next. "Steve Rodgers is an admirable guy, but he's not my favorite superhero." Coulson watched with a smile as Skye tried to turn her face away from the dog, failing miserably to get away from his wet tongue, laughing harder which only seemed to egg the dog on further.

"Okay, okay," Skye let out a breath, getting her arms around the wiggly mass of fur and planting it on the couch between them. "Rodgers not your favorite superhero? Not what I heard." Skye mused teasingly, wiping dog slobber off of her face. Before he got caught staring, Coulson shrugged and stood up, reaching down to pick up his shoes.

"You've heard wrong, I suppose," Coulson replied, brushing his hand across Cap's head before walking toward his door. "See you tomorrow," He grinned at her before shutting the door behind him, amused by the similar curious gazes of owner and dog that had followed him.

He knew Skye was probably going to spend the night in his office with the dog, and he didn't mind. Eventually, once he was older, they would introduce Cap to other parts of the base he was allowed in, bit by bit. He was still small enough now that Coulson was worried he would get caught underfoot or disappear in some storage room in an unfrequented hallway. Cap would probably also end up spending nights in Skye's room sooner rather than later as well, but Skye had claimed her room wasn't 'dog-proof' yet. Besides all that, Coulson knew that Skye often spent the night on the couch in his office, and while he _usually_ tried to avoid thinking about that fact (and how his office would still smell like her, first thing in the morning), it was something that contended him to no end.

 

 

 **< ><><>** 

"How the hell late did you two stay up last night?" May wondered, meeting him in the kitchen the next morning. Coulson raised his eyebrow at her as he made his coffee.

"Okay, Mom," He muttered, and May frowned at him. He held his hands up in the air, adding, "I went to bed around midnight. What Skye does is her own prerogative. Since when did this matter?"

"Since she missed Tai-Chi for the first time in months." May said pointedly, looking at Coulson like she didn't entirely believe him. "You didn't... stay with her?"

"Geez, May, what did you think we were doing?!" Coulson exclaimed, keeping his voice low in case there were other people about. " _No_ , I didn't ' _stay_ ' with her - and I didn't have _sex_ with her either, so don't even go there," He warned, seeing her open her mouth to ask another question. She pursed her lips, but relaxed her stance a little.

"Huh, I figured a puppy would've gotten you laid." May mused, and Coulson spluttered.

" _That wasn't the point_ ," He hissed, feeling his face turn red. That really hadn't been the point. And for crying out loud, they didn't think he was _that_ desperate, did they?

"Well, if you see her, tell her she owes me extra training time on the mats today. I'll be waiting." May raised her eyebrow at him before leaving the kitchen, and he growled under his breath as he prepared his coffee.

"Rough start this morning Director?" Hunter's too-cheerful voice grated against his already agitated nerves, and Coulson didn't even turn around when he heard the younger man sit down at the table.

"My morning was _excellent_ , thank you." Coulson replied testily, taking his mug up the steps toward his office with him. "I woke up _alone_ just as I'd gone to bed _alone_ , and it was _great_." He'd meant to make the other man uncomfortable, but Hunter only watched after him with a pitying look on his face.

"What's wrong with him?" Coulson was already at the top of the stairs when he heard Mack's voice, and Hunter's flippant remark,

"He just needs to get laid. You know how it is."

"If you'd stop worrying about my sex life and worry more about _actual problems_ ," Coulson muttered to himself as he opened the door to his office. He put his coffee on his desk and leaned his hands against it, head down as he breathed deeply a few times. Once he felt relatively relaxed again, he stood straight and turned around, and then realized he wasn't alone.

Luckily, Skye didn't seem to be awake; she was curled up on the couch, one arm tucked beneath her head as a pillow and the other hanging over the edge of the cushion. Cap was sprawled overtop her legs, looking like he hadn't noticed Coulson's entrance either. Coulson couldn't help but smile as he watched them sleep, glad to see Skye getting some peaceful rest. He stood there staring for long enough that when he caught himself, he felt the tips of his ears burning with embarrassment. It was starting to get a little too domestic in here for this to be the Director of SHIELD's office.

He first went over to the cabinet where he'd hidden the puppy food, and poured some in Cap's bowl. Sure enough, the dog flopped over and off of the couch, bounding over toward the familiar sound of food. Skye made a noise and Coulson looked over to see her roll over onto her back, limbs everywhere as she attempted to stretch out. Coulson smirked and approached the couch as quietly as he could.

"Skye?" He said, trying to keep his eyes averted from the bit of skin peeking out from her rucked up shirt. She mumbled something, her forehead creasing as she frowned a little, but she didn't open her eyes. God, he wanted to kiss her. "Skye," He called out louder, keeping out of reaching distance of her. He didn't want to tempt that.

"Mmf, _what_ ," She growled, all out frowning as she stretched her legs out from where they'd been curled up probably most of the night. Coulson swallowed, his traitorous eyes darting toward her stomach, where her shirt had pushed up even further and he could see quite a bit of the smooth skin above her hip. He wanted to touch it, to compare its softness to the softness of Cap's fur.

He took a step away from the couch.

"You've slept in. You're not going to like this, but you missed Tai-Chi, and May's waiting for you on the mats." Coulson spoke in his best Director's voice, wishing she would open her eyes so her gaze would force his own eyes toward some location more decent than her hip. Her gravelly sleepy voice was not helping matters, especially when she finally spoke again,

" _Fuck_."

Coulson all but ran toward the safety of his desk, sitting behind it and trying to adjust himself before Skye looked over and saw his uncomfortable face.

She sat up and planted her feet flat on the floor before opening her eyes, and rubbed her hand across her face. She squinted at him, then out the window, and then back toward him.

"What time is it?" She asked, sounding a little more awake, and Coulson touched his fingers toward his coffee mug, pushing it toward her.

"Here, take this. I think you'll need it more than me." He advised, clearing his throat a little. Skye got to her feet and shuffled over toward his desk, plopping back down in a seat across from him. Thankfully, the end of her shirt had fallen back down, so he didn't have to worry about that distraction again, but her hair was still fairly ruffled and her eyes weren't quite fully open yet. God, he really wanted to kiss her.

"Did May come up here hunting me down?" Skye wondered, brushing her fingers through her hair and pulling it back using an elastic band that had been around her wrist.

"No, she intercepted me in the kitchen this morning," Coulson said, watching as she took a long drink of coffee and then let out an even longer sigh, a smile curving her lips. Coulson shifted in his seat a little, surreptitiously bring a hand down to adjust himself again.

"Well, today's gonna be rough," Skye sighed, turning to look at the dog, who was working on finishing up his breakfast. "He's just so cuddly... my alarm went off this morning and I didn't want to get up." Skye looked at Coulson sideways, like she thought she was going to get into trouble. Coulson was too busy trying to fight off mental images of cuddling with her through the morning, not having any work to pull them out of bed any time soon... "I swear it won't become a problem. Won't happen again." Coulson pulled himself back into focus.

"You don't have to apologize to me," Coulson told her, "May's the one you meet in the mornings." For good reason, too. There was no way he could continually handle dealing with 'sleepy-morning-Skye' and not end up going crazy. Skye chugged the rest of her coffee and set it down on his desk, getting up and moving toward the puppy to give his fur a good rub.

"Sorry I fell asleep on your couch, but thanks for getting me up. And especially for the coffee." She stood straight and looked at him, grinning. "And _especially_ for the puppy." She left the room, then, and he tried not to read too much into her tone of voice. He shook his head, trying to get more blood to flow upward and less downward.

Cap barked, and Coulson looked down at where the dog was prancing next to his chair. He sighed heavily.

"You need to go out, don't you?" He asked, and Cap barked again. Coulson focused on finding the leash and then attaching it to Cap's collar, and was relieved that his body had chilled out a little by the time he opened his office door and walked out into the hall. His friends needed to stop talking about him getting laid, and making his mind so susceptible to inappropriate thoughts. He was usually much better at this.

 

 

 **< ><><>** 

A couple months later, after a particularly difficult day with a rather dangerous mission, Coulson and Skye sat on the couch in his office again, Cap between them. They sat there in silence for a while, petting the dog, and he seemed more than happy to sprawl on his back, partially across their laps. He was already almost twice the size he'd been when they got him, but he still insisted that he was a lap dog.

Everyone had gotten out just fine, but it had been a close call, and Skye had to resort to using her powers against the enemy again, which was something she wasn't always comfortable doing. Especially with this being one of her first ops in the field since the incident with 'real SHIELD' and the Inhumans. Coulson offered a glass of scotch, to which she agreed with a certain amount of relief.

Once the glass was finished, she talked to him about what had happened in Afterlife, and what had happened on the ship. Coulson silently thanked Cal for taking the pain of killing Jiaying away from Skye, and doing it himself. It couldn't have been easy for him, either, but Skye was hurting enough just from _almost_ killing her own mother, on top of everything else that had happened. Cal was a good father, Coulson realized yet again, wishing Skye could really have him around. But being a good father didn't always make him a good man, and they had all agreed that TAHITI had been the best idea. That had been the only option Coulson could give her where she could still see at least something of her father.

After she had stopped talking Skye had leaned against his shoulder at first, silent. Then she sniffed, and he glanced down to realize that she had silent tears rolling down her cheeks. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer, and then she curled up against him, openly crying, fingers grasping at his shirt as if she thought he was going to pull away. He reached up and pulled at his tie, undoing the knot and slipping it off of his neck so he wouldn't accidentally choke himself. He draped it across the arm of the couch and then toed his shoes off, twisting his body a little so she would understand and shift with him. He stretched out along the outside of the cushion, tucking her body between his and the back of the couch, wrapping his arms around her securely. Coulson knew that this was the first time Skye really let out her emotions regarding everything that had happened, and having been in this sort of position before, he also knew there wasn't much he could do other than be here for her. She tucked her head beneath his chin, pressing her face into his chest as she started breathing frantically.

"Shh, Skye, shh, just let it out," He whispered, brushing his fingers against her scalp soothingly. She stopped hyperventilating and released a sob, her body shaking. Cap, sensing something was wrong, crawled onto the couch where there feet were tangled together, lying down on top of their legs with his head on his paws, facing them.

Skye cried for a long time, until her throat was raw and she had no more tears left. Coulson was still wrapped around her protectively, and Cap there, watching hopefully from the other end of the couch. Skye released a heavy sigh, her body finally completely relaxing against him, and he brushed her hair away from her face gently, tilting his head to try and get a look at her.

"I'm a mess," She muttered, her voice cracking, and she sniffed, wiping her hands across her face.

"No you aren't," Coulson promised her, pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead, "you're brave." He tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling carefully. "You're the bravest person I know." Skye chuckled ruefully and looked away from him for a second.

"Says the guy who literally lost his arm for the sake of saving a boat full of people," Skye pointed out dryly, and Coulson shrugged, the movement fairly small given his position. Skye sighed, wriggling a little, insinuating one of her legs between his and curving the other on top. Cap, miffed that he'd lost his spot, jumped to the floor right next to the couch and lay down with a huff.

"Do you want me to - " Coulson began, thinking she was wanting to get up, and maybe go to her own room, or at least move into some sort of position that wasn't so... intimate.

"Please, stay," Skye whispered, her arms curled against his body, fingers clenching at the front of his shirt. "I'm sorry I cried all over you."

"I didn't mind," He assured her, resting his arm over her waist carefully, waiting for a response to make sure it was okay. She closed her eyes and smiled, her breath against his neck as she snuggled in closer. Surprisingly, he didn't feel anxious about losing control of his body's response to her. He felt comfortable, and at peace, like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

"Don't leave me," Skye said sleepily, and Coulson fleetingly wondered if she was actually conscious, or sleep-talking.

"Never." He promised her anyway, closing his eyes.

**.....  
**

"Coulson... Coulson," Skye's voice whispered into his consciousness.

"Unf, what?" He grumbled, squeezing his eyes closed, not wanting to wake up yet. He'd been having a really wonderful dream...

"I need to get up. If I'm late for Tai-Chi again May will probably come storming up here and I'd rather not explain why you're wrapped around me, on your couch,"

"Shit, Skye," Coulson opened his eyes as awareness suddenly flooded his system. "I'm sorry," He apologized sincerely as he carefully untangled his arms and legs from her and got to his feet, moving toward the middle of the room. He rubbed his hand across the back of his head as she sat up, smiling carefully at him.

"Hey," She spoke seriously as she gathered her hair back into a ponytail, brushing her bangs back out of her eyes, sliding her hands across her wrinkled clothing. "Thank you, AC." She stepped toward him, and he hesitantly pulled his hand away from his hair. "Thanks for not pushing for information. Thanks for... listening." She looked a little embarrassed, and glanced away from him for a moment.

"Skye," Coulson began softly, but then her hand was on his arm and her lips against his scruffy cheek, warm and lingering.

"I'll be back afterwards to take Cap for a walk," She whispered as she pulled away. Her hand was still on his arm, and she was still so close that he could just lean forward a little and -

"Okay," He swallowed, and Skye looked a little amused about something.

He stood there and watched as she stooped to pick up her shoes, giving Cap a head rub when he hurried toward her for a greeting. She patted his head and walked to the door, her shoes in her hand, finally turning around after she'd opened the door. She released a big smile toward Coulson, and then shut the door behind her.

"Wuf," Cap huffed, looking at the door.

"Yeah," Coulson breathed. He moved back toward the couch and sat down a little roughly, still a little disoriented from sleep. Cap leapt up next to him, resting his head on Coulson's knee, and Coulson scratched him behind the ears thoughtfully.

 

 

  **< ><><>**

Skye stopped sleeping in his office after that night. It wasn't something they ever talked about, but he could tell. His couch no longer held the faint scent of her, and she would retrieve Cap late in the evening before disappearing into her quarters. Coulson would say he missed it, but he was honestly relieved that there was a little less temptation assaulting him, now. It wasn't her fault, of course. She had no idea what she was doing to him (he tried to make certain of that).

He did miss Cap's almost constant presence, though. Skye had started to take him around base with her sometimes, always on the leash for now, so he could be with her while she worked. Cap joined her visits to Bobbi, as well, and Coulson knew that those visits really boosted morale, so he couldn't complain about that either.

But he did miss him.

"Geez, we've only had him for a few months," Coulson chided himself under his breath, pulling another file from the pile on his left and throwing it open. "He's Skye's dog, anyway, remember," He read through the file and tossed it onto the growing pile on the floor, looking up quickly when he heard his door open.

"Hey, Coulson," Skye greeted, slipping in and shutting the door. She had Cap with her, and unclipped him from the leash, and he immediately bounded toward Coulson, sliding under the desk and bumping his head into Coulson's crotch. "He missed you," Skye said with a smirk as Coulson grunted and rolled his chair away from the desk a little. Cap looked up at Coulson happily, his tail wagging furiously.

"Hi, boy," Coulson said a little painfully, raising his eyebrow toward Skye as he reached to pet the dog. Skye shrugged apologetically.

"He likes to head-butt people. It's his way of greeting." She stepped forward to hang the leash over the back of a chair, but didn't move to sit down. "Usually he doesn't hit people so hard, but he gets klutzy when he's excited."

"Klutzy and likes to head-butt people, huh?" Coulson mused, looking down at Cap. "I wonder where he gets that from?"

" _Hey_ ," Skye protested, but when Coulson looked up at her with a little grin on his face, she smiled back. Coulson noticed what she was wearing, and his smile faded.

"You're going out on an op," He realized, his tone a little too grim, and Skye shifted nervously.

"Yeah, that's one of the reasons I brought him in here," Skye replied. She gave him a strange look. "Don't give me that face. It's not like I'm going off to war. It's a simple op."

"I'm - there's no face - what - " Coulson pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes when Skye grinned. Dammit, she _knew_ he couldn't control his expressions very well around her. She walked back toward the door without another coy look, thankfully.

"Take care of each other while I'm gone, boys," Skye called over her shoulder, laughing a little as she walked down the hallway. Coulson and Cap looked at one another.

"Who does she think she is?" Coulson wondered, and he could swear Cap raised his eyebrow at him.

Coulson worked quietly in his office for the next few hours, content with an even more content dog at his feet, and Sarah Vaughan on the record player. The stack of files on the floor was even larger, and there was a small stack that accumulated on the desk to his right, names of known Hydra operatives that were still alive and out there somewhere. He was fairly pleased that this stack was much smaller than the other one, but it was still frustrating that there _always_ seemed to be a Hydra agent, somewhere.

"They multiply like rabbits," Coulson complained, Cap's ears perking up at Coulson's voice. Coulson sighed and sat back in his chair, checking his watch. He fully trusted May to be in complete control of this op Skye was on; if there were any problems, he'd be notified.

He still worried.

"It's been four hours. Should I go check on things?" Coulson asked Cap, who lifted his head up to look at him. "Or am I worrying too much?" Cap blinked lazily, and Coulson nodded. "Yeah, I'm just worrying too much." He sighed and loosened his tie a little, pulling open the button at his collar. "Though, this op was supposed to only take 45 minutes to an hour." He looked down at Cap again. "Right. I worry too much."

"Guess I'm glad I left him here to keep you company, then," Skye commented from the doorway, making Coulson jump. He hadn't heard his door open. Cap barked and scrambled to his feet, bouncing on his front paws at Skye's feet. They'd thankfully taught him not to jump up on people fairly early, which was good, because he was getting to be a large dog.

"Skye," Coulson said, relieved, and stood. Skye got to one knee to greet Cap properly, rubbing his fur vigorously as he licked at her face. Coulson realized he was a little jealous. Of course Cap didn't worry while she was gone - he was able to greet Skye like _this_ even after only a few hours apart... Coulson frowned at himself and gripped his fingers together in front of him.

"Hey," Skye groaned a little, and Coulson realized she was in pain, and he quickly moved around to grab Cap's collar, pulling the dog away from her a little. He put his other hand on Skye's elbow, helping her back to her feet.

"Have you been to see Simmons?" Coulson demanded, and Skye shook her head.

"I'm fine," She breathed out and brushed her hair back behind her ear. "There was an explosion and I took a rough landing. No broken bones, just a little bruised," She assured him, and he relaxed. Mostly. Cap returned to his warm spot beneath the desk, once again content now that both of his humans were around again.

"You sure?" Coulson asked carefully, brushing his thumb just under a cut on her cheek. She winced and pulled her head away a little.

"Yeah, scrapes and bruises," Skye waved her hand in the air, "like falling off a bike." Coulson just stood there, looking at her covered in dust and a bit of blood. "Um, so, that's two less Hydra guys we gotta worry about," Skye said optimistically, and Coulson nodded in relief. He knew he was still standing too far in her space, just looking at her, and he should really say something soon.

"I love you."

Well, shit, that wasn't the _something_ he should've said. And now Skye was looking at him, surprise on her face, but it wasn't entirely surprise, and he had no idea how to follow up that outburst. Skye's hand pressed carefully against the side of his face, as if _he_ were the injured one, and she smiled at him now, like she was proud of him.

"I know." She murmured, and he looked at her with surprise. She laughed lightly and lifted her other hand up to cradle his face between her palms. "You bought me a _puppy_ , Coulson. And you even put a little bow on him," Skye spoke as that revealed everything, and Coulson frowned, knowing that he was basically pouting but, he couldn't have been _that_ obvious.

"I just wanted you to be happy, how is that supposed - "

"And then you held me all night while I cried?" Skye raised her eyebrow at him. "That is _literally_ something I could read in one of Simmons' romance novels. Plus," Skye smirked devilishly, and Coulson swallowed. "That morning? I guess you never remembered it, because I had expected you to be really awkward about it and you never were." Oh _no_. "You were talking in your sleep. My name, specifically." Coulson closed his eyes, groaning inwardly. He could feel his ears turning red. "I admit, it was incredibly difficult not to just skip Tai-Chi again, with the way you'd been saying my name, and the way your, ah... interest... presented itself." Coulson bit his lip, holding his breath, refusing to open his eyes. God, this was _mortifying_. "Was that why you apologized so much that morning?" Skye wondered curiously, her hands sliding down to rest against his collar. "You were worried I'd noticed your morning wood?"

" _Skye_ ," Coulson hissed, chagrined. He clenched his jaw, and then figured he might as well admit it, since she knew anyway. "It wasn't just... a morning hard-on," He took a deep breath in, opening his eyes and looking toward the ceiling, silently begging someone to walk in and interrupt them.

"I thought as much," Skye said pleasantly, "I didn't want to assume, though." She stepped closer to him, and he jerked his eyes toward hers.

"It was difficult not to skip Tai-Chi again?" He asked, and Skye smiled at him.

"Now you're catching on," She encouraged, her fingers brushing against the skin beneath his loosened collar. He looked at her, wondering if he'd fallen asleep at his desk again. Slowly, he moved his hands toward her waist, curling his fingers around her. She pressed her body against his, and their noses brushed. "I love you, too." Skye said quietly, but firmly, her breath ghosting across his skin.

Coulson slid his lips across hers, releasing a little sigh now that he was sure this was real, and kissed her more firmly, angling his head so he could kiss her fully. Skye's hands slipped around behind his neck, her fingers scratching lightly through his hair as he kissed her slowly.

Their kissing eventually became more intense, open mouths and heavy breath, until Coulson stumbled back and realized Skye was pushing him toward the couch. Things started happening quickly after that; he sat down hard, focusing on slipping his hands underneath her shirt as she climbed on top of him, knees on either side of his hips. He hummed happily as he discovered that her skin was as soft as he'd imagined. He was finally touching her, and she was touching him - kissing him, her tongue in his mouth just as demanding as her fingers on the buttons of his shirt.

One of her hands slid down over his crotch, squeezing, and his hips jerked in reflex. Skye smiled against his lips, finding him half hard already, squeezing and rubbing and forcing these noises out of his mouth that he probably should be embarrassed about, but he wasn't, because this was Skye, and he _wanted_ her to hear how she affected him.

His belt clinked as she got it open and he opened his eyes, trying to catch his breath. She was still feeling him up through his trousers as she pulled at the zip, and when he thrust up against her she shifted just enough to remind him -

"Wait," He gasped, pulling his hands out from under her shirt to grab at her hands, halting her progress. "Wait," Both of their chests were heaving, though Skye stilled and looked at him.

"We probably shouldn't be doing this here, right?" She realized, and he was pleased to find that she was just as breathless as he was.

"That's not it," Coulson shook his head, and leaned his head to the side to look around her. "We're being watched." He whispered. He felt Skye freeze, and her eyes widened a little, before she turned very slowly to look over her shoulder.

Cap was sitting on the floor in front of Coulson's desk, his head cocked to the side a little as he looked at them.

Coulson felt Skye's laughter before he heard it, and he frowned a little at her, miffed.

"I can't do this while he's _watching_!" Coulson insisted, as if Cap was a small child who would be traumatized for life. Skye looked back down at him, her hair framing her face, and he was quickly reminded of the very uncomfortable pressure against the inseam of his pants.

"Do you want to stop?" Skye asked dubiously, raising her eyebrow, and Coulson swallowed and rotated his jaw as he tried to think quickly. "I could go put him in my room, real quick." Skye leaned a little further away from him, and he knew he had a desperate look on his face. "I'll be quick," Skye promised with a grin, slipping off of him and brushing her hands through her hair and down her shirt, making sure she didn't look like she was just making out with the Director of SHIELD on the couch.

Bereft of her heat and weight on top of him, Coulson quickly reached down to press the heel of his hand against the bulge in his half-opened pants. Skye gave him a warning look as she clipped the leash back on Cap and opened the office door.

"Don't you dare," She warned him, and he struggled for a steady breath as he slowly removed his hand from himself. He placed his hands on the couch either side of him, fingers pressing down into the cushions as he refrained from touching himself. He certainly wasn't planning on getting off without her, but the pressure inside of his trousers was not entirely pleasant.

Nothing was a cold dash of water through the veins like the sound of Melinda May's dry tone of voice, though.

"Don't you dare, what?" May asked, standing in the open doorway, and Skye jumped, her expression looking exactly like she just got caught making out with the Director of SHIELD. Skye whirled around to face her, and Coulson snapped his hand out toward the first thing he could find - an extra large stuffed dog that Cap liked to sleep with. He yanked it over on top of his lap and tried his damnedest to put a neutral look on his face.

"Uh," Skye froze.

"Woof!" Cap butted his head against May's thigh, and when her attention was momentarily diverted downward as she pet him, Coulson slipped his hand beneath the stuffed toy to yank up his zipper and button his trousers. He grimaced when he had to quickly return his hands to a neutral location before he could fix his belt.

"Trying to hide from Simmons, aren't you?" May said knowingly, focused on Skye. Coulson momentarily debated attempting to close his belt, but May was still facing toward the room and he didn't want to tempt fate.

"I'm not hurt that bad," Skye went along with it, licking her lips, visibly relaxing. Coulson knew she was trying to wipe away any traces of just being thoroughly kissed, and he clenched his jaw when that thought went straight to his cock.

"Go see her anyway. That's an order." May told her firmly, taking Cap's leash from her. "I'll take him for a walk, he'll still be here waiting for you when you're done," May rolled her eyes a little, but there was a smile almost visible on her face. Skye sighed and nodded, her shoulders slumping a little in what May took as defeat, but Coulson knew to be disappointment.

Skye glanced back at him, biting her lip as she took him in, and he could only imagine how ridiculous he looked with this stupid toy on his lap. He raised his eyebrows slightly, silently informing her that his current situation was all _her_ fault, and he would be repaying her in kind, later. She smirked - she'd understood - and raised an eyebrow in return, challenging him.

"We can finish this discussion later," Coulson said, giving himself a mental high five as his tone came out calm and Directorial. Skye nodded, schooling her features before turning back toward the doorway and slipping around May.

Coulson looked at May, and she looked at him, for a very long moment.

"Is that, what, compensation for when she has custody over the dog?" May wondered flippantly, and Coulson frowned.

"No, this is just..." He looked down at the toy, "one of Cap's toys. We were playing with him."

"You know, there used to be a time when immediately after returning from a mission, two things happened - get checked up if you're injured, and then debrief." May's eyebrow twitched when Coulson held his breath. "Unless, she decided to skip straight to the debriefing?"

" _Melinda_ ," Coulson hissed, but he couldn't even argue against her suggestive tone of voice. His lips and hands were still warm from Skye, his blood still running hot with desire. May's presence had cleared his senses somewhat, but he was still firmly focused on what they had been about to do, what they were _going_ to do as soon as they had some time alone. And he knew that even if his belt was buckled up, his arousal wouldn't be hidden.

May shook her head at him, disappointed, but he wasn't sure what exactly she was disappointed about.

"I'm going to take this guy for a walk." May informed him, and shut the door as she left him alone. Coulson released a breath, falling back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling for a moment. He frowned and threw the stuffed toy back to the other side of the couch, looking down at himself.

"Damn it," he muttered, sighing heavily as he stood and walked into his bathroom, unbuttoning his trousers again as he went.

 

 

 **< ><><>** 

"Hey, AC," Coulson looked up from his desk and smiled warmly when Skye stepped into the office. Cap, who was now a year old, thumped his tail against the floor from his position at Coulson's feet. Under the desk was his favorite spot to sleep and to chew bones, especially if Coulson was there, and he didn't even move when Skye stepped a little closer.

"What's up?" Coulson asked, seeing that she looked a little unsure about something.

"Well, I'm about to head out, to Sunburn? To start training with the team." Skye explained, and Coulson nodded.

"I know you're nervous, Skye, but trust me." He smiled. "You're a fantastic team leader." Skye laughed a little at the reference, but looked at him sideways and stuck her hands in her pockets.

"Okay, yeah, I'm kind of nervous about that." She admitted. "But, that's not why I'm here," Coulson caught the glint in her eye, and he set the pen that had been in his hand on his desk, leaning back in his chair.

"Why _are_ you here?" He asked, trying to sound like he wasn't hopeful.

"I'm going to be gone for at least two weeks. More than likely longer." She shrugged nonchalantly, though he could tell she was still a little anxious. "I was wondering if we could... Before I leave, if we..." She trailed off, catching the smile in his eyes, and she frowned. "I'm not going to stand here and proposition you for sex while you're still sitting there all Mr Coy Director behind your desk!" She folded her arms across her chest, and he raised his eyebrow.

"Isn't that _exactly_ what you're doing?" He pointed out slyly, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Look, I know we have rules about this and I get that, we need those rules, but Coulson I really don't have time to try and sneak back to your room with you, and I definitely don't have time to doctor the security footage of us sneaking - "

"Last two times we tried that in here, we almost got caught," Coulson reminded her seriously, standing up and moving around his desk. Skye's face sort of fell a little, and she looked down at Cap, who - still on his belly - had inched his way toward her until his chin was on her shoe, silently begging for attention.

"I'm not asking for - just a goodbye kiss, maybe?" Skye corrected, looking back up toward him. "You _know_ what happens every time we split up."

"I've got a guard dog now. I'll be okay." Coulson said teasingly, smiling, and Skye shook her head.

"What if I was going to bring him with me?" She countered, and Coulson's happy expression dropped immediately. He knew he looked incredibly concerned, but he couldn't help it. Cap was always the welcome distraction when Skye wasn't around, and - Coulson would shoot anyone who found out about this - he even allowed Cap to sleep at the foot of the bed with him.

"You were?" Coulson asked, his brow furrowing, and Skye immediately looked like she regretted that route of teasing.

"No, no, of course not - he's safer _here_ ," Skye assured Coulson, though he was pretty sure she _knew_ that he was less worried about the dog handling himself at the other base, and more concerned about how he would be able to handle being here without Skye _or_ Cap.

"You'll be busy with the new recruits. I'll take care of him, I always do." Coulson promised, and Skye crouched down to run her fingers through the soft fur on Cap's belly. Coulson watched fondly as Cap stretched out, sighing happily. After a beat he realized Skye was looking at him as she pet the dog, and she looked amused.

"Sure you don't want a belly rub too, Tiger?" She offered coyly, standing back up. "Last chance before I leave. Look how happy Cap is," She crooned, looking back down at Cap, who had twisted slightly into almost a 'C' shape on his back, all four paws curled up against his body. Coulson swallowed heavily at Skye's innuendo.

After a drunken bet, Hunter had "accidentally" told Skye what had happened when he and Coulson had tried to get a vehicle from a car salesman, and since then, Skye would call him "Tiger" every now and then. Always in private, thank God, because she usually said it in such a way that he was almost sure she wasn't actually calling _him_ Tiger, but a certain... _part_ of him. And lord help him, it never failed to turn him on.

"I'll keep you updated on the team's progress," Skye promised him, and she was walking toward the door like she hadn't actually expected anything to happen, and he could tell it _wasn't_ actually a big deal to her that he didn't take her up on her offer. She rolled with it, like she always does, because he gets nervous when they're working together in public and shuns her almost _too_ much in an attempt to hide their relationship. He always makes it up to her, of course, but this time, they'd have _weeks_ between them... and besides, technically they weren't in public.

" _Agent Johnson_." Coulson announced firmly, squaring his shoulders and putting on his best peeved-Director face. Skye turned around, looking at him with surprise. He hardly ever referred to her as Agent _anything_ , much less with her last name. "Did I _tell you_ that we were finished, here?" He demanded, and she blinked, awareness forming behind her widened eyes. She stepped back toward him carefully, unsure where he was going with this exactly. He relaxed his stance, and smirked at her, "Cap," he ordered, "go guard."

He looked at Skye while she watched Cap get to his feet and first go lick Coulson's hand, then stroll out into the hallway and plant his butt in front of the door. Skye looked back at Coulson, her mouth open. Coulson grinned wider as he slipped past her to shut his office door, turning the lock.

"You... Did you _train_ him to alert us if someone's coming?" Skye asked incredulously, and Coulson shrugged one shoulder as he stepped against her, pushing her toward his desk with his body.

"Not for this specific purpose, no," Coulson replied, sliding his fingers through her hair and around the back of her head as he stepped between her knees. "Sometimes I'm working on Project Caterpillar and don't want someone barging in while I've got the Black Box opened." She hopped up onto the edge of his desk, pushing things aside carefully as he pressed into the cradle of her hips. "But, I think the same idea applies right now, more or less, don't you?" He pointed out, just barely touching his nose against hers.

"I've got twenty minutes," Skye said breathlessly, her eyes darting down to his lips, and he nodded.

He stepped back just far enough to reach his own tie, pulling it loose and quickly undoing the buttons of his dress shirt. Skye was wearing an oversized flannel, and it pleased him to see that she was finding a comfortable in-between of the Skye he'd first met and the agent of SHIELD that she was now. It was _not_ entirely pleasing that it took her a little longer to get the shirt _off_ , but after she dropped the shirt to the floor on top of his own recently discarded one, he found he didn't actually care. His throat went dry as he stared at her, and she sighed lovingly, throwing her arms loosely around his neck and pulling him close again.

"I will never get enough of the way you always seem to look at me like it's the first time you're seeing me, but _come on Coulson_ we don't have that much time and I'd like to make this as good as possible." She was undoing his belt as she spoke, tugging and forcing his hips forward. He let her pull the strap out of the buckle and unclasp his trousers, too distracted by what he was seeing. Her breasts, yes, of course, he always loved them - but more importantly in this moment, the bra. It was one he'd never seen before. And it was important, because it was _red_ , and the way it accentuated her curves and begged him to press his face -

" _Coulson_!" Skye laughed, bringing one of her hands up to scratch her nails against the back of his head, through his hair, encouraging him even as she was amused by him. He hummed a question against her, pressing kisses against the skin along the tops of her breasts where the fabric of the bra ended. He mouthed her nipples through the thin material, making them rise to meet the tip of his tongue, and Skye groaned and pressed her chest forward. He paid careful attention to each breast, and was just as careful upon removing the bra, setting it on the desk beside her.

"We need to save this one," He informed her, his voice deep and dark, and Skye licked her lips as she nodded, leaning into him.

"I was hoping you'd like it," She grinned, and he raised his eyebrow before reaching down to push his trousers and underwear out of the way, giving her a quick, hard kiss on the mouth.

"You knew I wouldn't say no, didn't you," He growled, trying to sound threatening, but it came out sounding more proud than anything else.

"Well, I had hoped. And I had a backup plan, you know," Skye told him as she wiggled out of her own jeans, shoving everything off at once. Coulson kicked their discarded clothing to the side as he reached for her again, curving his fingers around her hips as he focused his attention once more on her breasts. "Give you a little peek of the new bra," Skye gasped, arching against him when he slid his tongue against her skin, "let you see what you would've missed out on."

"And now it's all I'm going to be thinking of for the next two weeks," Coulson complained, kissing down her stomach. She released a sigh, but then she was grabbing him by the chin before he could get anywhere below her bellybutton, pulling him back up.

"Come here, Tiger," Skye grinned, wrapping her legs around the back of his thighs, and he laughed, kissing her deeply as he pushed into her. He moved slowly at first, wanting to drag this out as long as possible, but Skye was having none of that, and hoisted her legs up higher around his waist, hooking her ankles together behind his back. They both groaned at the angle and rocked their hips together with purpose, both of them caught somewhere between slow-and-sweet and hard-and-fast.

Afterward, after they had collapsed together onto his desk, both of them surprised that it had happened that fast and that it had also been that _good_ , after she had grabbed _his_ shirt and just smiled at him as she slowly buttoned it up overtop that red bra - he figured it wouldn't do any harm in asking her.

"When you call me 'Tiger'," He began slowly, pulling his belt snug around his hips and buckling it, "Are you calling _me_ Tiger, or, are you calling... _**me**_ Tiger?" Skye finished lacing up her boots, smiled, and opened the door.

"Good boy, Cap," Skye praised the dog, crouching down to scratch him behind the ears. He stood and wagged his tail, licking her face before walking back into the room, headed for his water bowl. Skye stood again, her hand on the knob as she looked at Coulson, who was holding up her flannel shirt expectantly, eyebrow raised. "You boys take care of each other while I'm gone," She said, the same way she always did, except this time she also mouthed, 'I love you'.

Coulson smiled, and knew that he probably looked ridiculous standing there shirtless with a dorky grin on his face, but he mouthed back 'I love you' as well before she disappeared down the hall. Cap's ears perked up at her retreating footsteps, and he started to bound after her.

"Cap!" Coulson called out, stopping the dog just outside the door. He whined and looked between them, clearly struggling with wanting to follow after one master and obey the orders of the other. "Stay, boy. She'll be back before you know it," Coulson assured the dog, looking down at the shirt in his hands. "Hopefully with my shirt..."

Cap yipped as he looked down the hall, his tail wagging happily, and Coulson realized someone was probably coming toward the office. He highly doubted it was Skye again, from the way Cap was acting.

"Shit," Coulson muttered, wanting rather to be caught in an unlikely-designed shirt than completely shirtless, and carefully but quickly slipped his arms through the sleeves. Surprisingly, it fit him alright - it was snug around his shoulders and just a little short in the sleeves, but other than that... She must've bought a larger size because she found them more comfortable to lounge around in. Or have spontaneous sex in... Coulson found himself smirking as he made sure the buttons were straight, and looked up to find Hunter, of all people, standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide, like he'd done something wrong, as he looked Coulson up and down.

"Yes, Hunter?" Coulson wiped the smile from his face, trying to appear at ease.

"Going undercover, Sir?" Hunter wondered curiously, leaning his head sideways a little. Coulson worried that he recognized the shirt, and shook his head, moving back behind his desk and sitting in the chair, scooting it forward until he looked like he was about to start a whole lot of paperwork. Or something equally boring and Hunter-deterrent.

"I came across a box of old clothes. Wondered if they still fit." Coulson gave Hunter a challenging look. "Is there a problem with me trying on my own shirts in my own office?"

"Oh, no Sir, not at all." Hunter said amiably, his grin widening suddenly, as if he had it all figured out. He patted Cap on the head. "I just could have _sworn_ I saw Skye wearing a dark blue flannel just like that one...huh. What are the odds." Hunter laughed, as if at himself, and walked away.

Coulson and Cap looked at one another, and then both of them sighed heavily.

 

* * *

 


End file.
